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Four picks and no quarterbacks. People keep wondering if the next draft spot would draw a QB choice and it didn’t. It certainly doesn’t sound like it will happen either, now that the Cardinals have moved into the fourth round. Bruce Arians was asked what he would say to fans who were expecting a quarterback to be picked. Arians was blunt.

“Why?” Arians said.

“We’ve got three pretty good ones and you don’t take quarterbacks if they’re not going to beat out the ones you have,” Arians added. “I know people rate quarterbacks. I’ve been doing this a long time. I like ours better.”

So there’s that. As for some other notes after three more draft picks on the draft’s hump day Saturday:

— As a QB follow, Arians said there was “no doubt” Carson Palmer could play a couple of more years after this one. “Look at Peyton at 38,” Arians said. “The longevity of the athletes today, with the technology in the medical profession, they are going to go a lot longer. As long as you stay injury-free.”

— The Cardinals don’t want to draft for need. Then the first three picks go to a safety, a tight end and a pass rusher and that certainly felt like need.

“That’s the emphasis you put into building that (120) board,” GM Steve Keim said. “We say best player available, but there is an emphasis on who impacts our football team the most. We are never going to leave a good player to the side, but we will take who impacts us the most.”

— Keim said the Cardinals tried to trade back up into the second round, but could not get a deal done (he did not say who the Cardinals wanted to try and get.) But a trade remains possible Sunday when the Cardinals have a pick in the fourth, fifth and sixth round. “The phone has been ringing a lot,” Keim said. “We’ve been active.”

— The Cardinals’ two third-round picks echoed exactly what Keim has been talking about this offseason, which is adding speed. Defensive end/outside linebacker Kareem Martin is 6-foot-6 and 272 pounds and Keim compared his frame to the 6-8, 284-pound Calais Campbell when Campbell came out in 2008. Now, Campbell weighs 305. Martin can rush from the outside in the base 3-4 and be both places in sub-packages. More importantly, he has the size and speed that is difficult to find. Keim also said he wanted to get longer and more athletic on the edges, better to chase down the Colin Kaepernicks and Russell Wilsons of the world.

— The other third-round pick was a stunner. “Got to keep you guys on your toes with a small-school guy,” Keim quipped. That’s exactly what it was when Pittsburg State wideout John Brown was picked. But it didn’t take much research to see Brown, at 5-foot-10 and a 4.34 40, was the Cardinals’ attempt to find Arians another T.Y. Hilton. Arians loved him some T.Y. in Indy in 2012. Keim’s been looking for a clone since. Arians also compared Brown in some ways to another of his former wideouts, Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown. He’s older — 24 — but they love his makeup and his speed.

— It’s not surprising that Arians said he plans to cut back on Patrick Peterson’s punt returns. There are enough other guys on the roster now, with Brown and Ted Ginn, to do it that you wouldn’t risk your Pro Bowl cornerback. Arians acknowledged the Tyrann Mathieu injury had an impact on that thinking. Plus Peterson isn’t going to play wide receiver most likely, but after adding pieces at receiver, it doesn’t make a lot of sense anyway.

— What’s left Sunday Saturday? (It’s been a long day.) Assuming the Cards stick with three picks, I wouldn’t be surprised with an offensive lineman. Beyond that, we’ll see. Obviously I’m not counting on a QB. Maybe another guy for the front seven. Then it’s time to get this roster together for the full offseason.

41 Responses
to “Need, speed, no QB: Day Two wrap”

I think BA & Keim have been spot on with the first four picks. All can come in and make an impact this season. With the next three picks ( if they don’t trade them ) , I think Cards could go with D-line, LB ( inside or out ) and O-line just to get some depth for camp.

As far as the need vs. bpa goes i still believe they build our 120 board with what fits our system and what we want, then draft from it. So it still is “BPA” its just through our lens of what BPA is. Some would call it need. But if its still the highest rated player on our board then it is “BPA” regardless of what any other scouts or rankings say. I love every one of our picks. They fit our needs and also have exceptional talent. They aren’t reaches like a QB that would set us back, or a developmental player that we could only play on a small % of snaps that may or may not work out. Each one has the potential to become full time starters and excel in our system. I couldn’t be happier right now with the way we are approaching this draft, we have the freedom to draft this way because of the exceptional FA signings that we have made this year.
Bring on day three!

My QB thoughts. We haven’t seen a lot of Ryan Lindley, we haven’t even seen a lot of Drew Stanton. Because Palmer wasn’t injured every three games! So who’s to say Stanton, who was going to be the starter before Palmer came on board or Lindley, who was kept behind two proclaimed starters… are not our QB of the future.

People say neither is a QB of the future, but have we seen either play in over a year? Was not a certain Rodgers unknown until the Packers cut Favre. Perhaps we already have one or two QB’s of the future who are being groomed and don’t need to draft one. I also do not recall anything that Keim or Arians or Darren have stated that made me think they’ll take even one QB in any round of the draft.

“One team that wasn’t sending out smokescreens: Arizona. They had a chance to draft Manziel and they passed. They had a chance to take Bridgewater at No. 27 after trading down, and they passed. It’s Carson Palmer’s world, and it’s an impressive looking secondary in Arizona after they added underrated hitter Deone Bucannon.” NFL Network

They showed the war room during one of our picks and everyone in the room was watching the tv and facing away from the camera, they didn’t look busy or jazzed or anything…just staring at the screen. Rich Eisen was trying to get them to turn around and acknowledge that they were on film and being talked about. I think Rich called them statues…then finally BA just gave a thumbs down.

The next pick they showed the room and there was a big screen with Rich doing his combine 40 behind them and they had three phone going on passing them back and forth like they were talking with multiple teams and stuff. Then they, specifically Mike Bidwill started laughing, it was obviously a setup.

It was just really neat. I can totally see why players want to come here.

Chris,
They put a still photo of Rich Eisen running aggressively in his suit and tie on their big screen like he was the prospect they were looking at for their next pick. It made for a few minutes of good banter ,on NFL Network, how he would be a good pick for the Cards.

Darren….a couple of weeks ago you and JTDG were debating whether or not it was wise to expose PP to injury by allowing him to continue returning punts. You downplayed the risk factor then. What has changed your mind?

i have a feeling manziel, like all other Browns qbs will end up as a first round bust. people keep saying select a qb, and my response to that is the same as Bruces “why?!” it wasnt palmers fault he didnt have enough time to throw the ball. that being said, good job to the Arizona Cardinals. Theyve selected positions that needed to be addressed. both safety spots are now filled with talent. Lets go cardinals!

Seems like every year Arizona drafts receivers who end up getting cut, traded, or just kinda fade into the mist of the practice squad. I know Arians wanted a “speed receiver” but I thought that’s why we got a speed coach and signed Ted Ginn to play the slot? (If this were indeed a priority why did we give the Saints our #20 pick and not take Cooks ourselves?)I would think the 0-line would command some beefing up more than needing another receiver. I’m glad to see we took a TE, although I was really hoping we could have gotten Eric Ebron or C.J. Fiedorwitz, I’m sure if BA likes him he will be a starter. I’ll just be glad when this is over, we can see how our competition has improved and can move on to getting these guys ready for our first division game in week 2 (gonna be a grinder)! GO CARDS!

BA says QBs have to play to get better, yet he has total confidence in Stanton, a career backup nearing 30 years old. Something doesn’t add up there. For our sakes I hope he is right, as it would be very rare for an older QB like Palmer to go uninjured two full years in a row.

Pittsburg State? What would this Cards team do without Pittsburg? John Brown wouldn’t have been drafted by any team. A 6th or 7th round infatuation pick at best. If you think Johnny Football is too small or won’t “get the crap hit out of…” him then what about Swope, I mean John Brown?

Wasted picks. You can get equally skilled Safeties and TEs in the later rounds. No safety is worth a first round pick! The position isn’t crutial enough. I would have rather seen them go LB, RB or WR. A safety in round 1 is a damn whiff, no matter how good.

Lets see how the draft went out so far and what I liked & disliked:
1.) SS Deone Bucannon, Washington State
-We addressed our major concern. Speed, agility, cover ability are really good.
2.) TE Troy Niklas, Notre Dame
-He has the size and the blocking abilities that fits Bruce Arians’ scheme to perfection.
3.) DE/LB Kareem Martin, North Carolina
-To be honest with you, I was very skeptical about our third round selections. I feel that Kareem Martin best fits as a DE and not an OLB. He is more of the traditional 4-3 end than a LB in a 3-4. Nice value at this spot but not sure if he is the potential replacement for LB John Abraham. Would have preferred WR Donte Moncrief. Had the speed (4.4) at a 40yd dash and the size at 6’2” 220 from Mississippi.
3.) WR Josh Brown, Pittsburg State
-I love this guy’s speed. He has the potential of being a dangerous return man but he is a 24yr old rookie that played in a small school. He is the speed player that Bruce Arians’ wanted but the question is how will his skills transition into the NFL?
Would have preferred OT Michael Schofield, Michigan.

While I like Kareem Martin, I’ve got to day I’ve been pretty disappointed with this draft. I mean, we passed on Dee Ford/Clinton-Dix/Dennard for the luxury of drafting a 5’10” receiver from a tiny school (did you know Pitt State is in Kansas?) that we probably could have gotten in the sixth round. I don’t fully blame Keim. I think that they had REALLY bad luck this year, with guys they really wanted being snatched up 1-3 picks ahead of them. In Round 2, it looks like Amarao or Attaochu will fall to them, but they go 3 and 2 picks before them, leaving them with nobody to be really excited about, so they went for need. Then in the third, it looks like Louis Nix, Will Sutton, or Gabe Jackson will be available, and they go 1-2-3 before them, leaving them again with no really great options but to draft for need. I like Kareem Martin, but I really don’t understand the John Brown pick. How do you not go grab the local kid Carl Bradford. The bottom line is: I don’t see that this team made itself very much better so far.

If you look back, I never said I wouldn’t do it less. My point at the time was that whatever Arians thought was best was fine with me.

But again, my thought process is, guys can get hurt anywhere. I’m not saying you do things willy-nilly. I wonder if Peterson gets reeled in if he had still averaged 15 yards a return the past two years.

Lets be real here, the Cards are not drafting BPA. They are drafting for need. I dont mind it, although I am scratching my head at the WR Brown pick. I have gone to multiple scouting and nfl analyst sites and have seen a draft grade of 4-5th round at best and UFA at worst. The consensus is 5-6th round. This was a reach solely on the basis of need for a speed guy who can run the 40 in 4.34. Either Keim’s draft board is really a dart board or the whole BPA philosophy is a smokescreen this year.

We’ll finally get to see BA’s offense run according to his specs – power TE with the #2 fastest WR from this draft to break the defense’s deep coverage and open up the underbelly. Coach Arians is the only play caller in the NFL who has this style of shoot the moon offense – are you really surprised he demanded the players necessary to implement his game plan? What a draft – we’ll be cheering for all these guys soon! A tip of the Cards’ wing to the front office!

I’m originally from Kansas and Pittsburg State isn’t even considered to have one of the better football programs that high school players want to go to…so, I’m a little concerned that this player, John Brown, (controversial figure in Kansas history even) will have the necessary preparation to make the transition. K-State has a great program and has turned out some great NFL players, even Coffeeville Juco is recognized for their football program but Pitts State??? I’m more than a little stunned by this choice but have confidence that if this kid has anything, the Cards are the best place for him to be developed. I’m glad we are addressing some of our biggest needs but somehow this draft seems a little lack luster compared to last years…except for the Swope fiasco.

If the RB position has been dimished due to most teams philosophy then what about kick return position diminished by league rules or kick off yardline? Yet, we pick a kick returner from Pittsburg nonetheless instead of the best and/or 2nd best RB in the draft, go figure!

Geez…AJ McCarron was still on the board and I would love to have heard what was behind this choice? We still had needs before a QB like pass rusher, linemen, RBs (where would the Cards have been without a running game?). It will be interesting to see how the experts grade this draft after last years.

I love the cards but this is the first draft in over a decade there hasn’t been one player drafted to really be excited about drafting. I hope I’m wrong, but it looks like every pick has more potential to be a bust than a success…If Keim and Arians draft like this next year I doubt they’ll be around to many more years after that….

read mattyoung comments,my thoughts also,the guys we wnted just were’nt there,so we improvised and maybe reached a little but for positions that fit our team.just remember we have players returning off injury also that should be ahead of any drafted rookies this year anyway.we have our run defense pretty much intact and now we solidified the secondary,our o-line should be better and we have 4 RBs and now the TE everyone wanted,a couple speed guys,one a vet,one a rookie.if we improve our pass rush i think we’re set.